The Man with the Wrong Values
Published in Frankfurter Rundschau
(Germany) on 22 September 2022
by Karl Doemens (link to
original)
The supposed billionaire Donald Trump is said to have made false claims about his business dealings. The investigations against him now may affect his children too.
The news had an electrifying effect. After three and a half years of investigations, the attorney general of the state of New York wants to file a lawsuit against Donald Trump. The billionaire is alleged to have lied for years to banks, insurance companies and tax authorities about the value of his real estate and to have absurdly inflated his wealth. That can’t come as a surprise to anyone — after all, self-praise, exaggeration and lies are among the most prominent personality traits of the notorious loudmouth.
Still, it’s too early to celebrate. Trump currently faces problems in every corner of the legal system. Stolen classified documents, attempted election fraud, participation in the Capitol riot. The civil litigation in New York, which “only” concerns the real estate mogul’s previous business conduct, is probably the most harmless among them.
Trump is unlikely to land in jail anytime soon. The state attorney general’s office is instead seeking a lifetime ban for him and his children, prohibiting them from occupying corporate leadership positions. That would still be the end of the myth of the successful businessman — and for a narcissist like Trump, perhaps the most painful humiliation of all.
The news had an electrifying effect. After three and a half years of investigations, the attorney general of the state of New York wants to file a lawsuit against Donald Trump. The billionaire is alleged to have lied for years to banks, insurance companies and tax authorities about the value of his real estate and to have absurdly inflated his wealth. That can’t come as a surprise to anyone — after all, self-praise, exaggeration and lies are among the most prominent personality traits of the notorious loudmouth.
Still, it’s too early to celebrate. Trump currently faces problems in every corner of the legal system. Stolen classified documents, attempted election fraud, participation in the Capitol riot. The civil litigation in New York, which “only” concerns the real estate mogul’s previous business conduct, is probably the most harmless among them.
Trump is unlikely to land in jail anytime soon. The state attorney general’s office is instead seeking a lifetime ban for him and his children, prohibiting them from occupying corporate leadership positions. That would still be the end of the myth of the successful businessman — and for a narcissist like Trump, perhaps the most painful humiliation of all.
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